JANESVILLE, Wis. – Seven Janesville middle-school students could face discipline for posting a prank on Facebook this week.

A WISC-TV report says the students at Marshall Middle School are accused of posting a lie that their school bus had crashed and that their coach had died.

Steve Sperry, the district’s director of administrative and human services, said the district has no control over what students post in the privacy of their own homes, but when the effects trickle back into the school and cause disruption, disciplinary action could be appropriate.

He said the punishment could range from an in-school suspension to expulsion.

The superintendent said the students have expressed remorse. He added that he hopes the incident will be a learning experience about things posted online.

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